“This is great news for the State of Louisiana and the Gulf South Region, where the obesity rates are among the highest in the country” said Dr. Tom Lavin, one of the nine board-certified surgeons with the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana. Louisiana was named the fifth most obese state in the country, while neighboring state, Mississippi, was named number one.* The need for more effective treatment options for those suffering from obesity is apparent, as almost 37 million Americans have a BMI of 30-40 and at least one comorbid condition.**

Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the Untied States, second only to smoking. It is a disease that requires treatment and successful long-term solutions. The LAP-BAND, combined with diet and exercise, provides an effective treatment option for those in a lower BMI range that previously did not have options beyond diet, exercise and pharmacotherapy.

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana is committed to helping you lose weight and obtain a healthy lifestyle. Our nutritionists are available for one-on-one consultations. Whether you need to lose 15, 50 or 150 pounds, SSL can help you. Our medically supervised weight loss program, MyWeight, combines nutrition therapy, physical activity and physician prescribed medication, if necessary. Minimally invasive weight loss surgery (gastric banding, gastric bypass, gastric sleeve) and the new incisionless procedure, POSE, are options for those who need to lose 50 or more pounds. Schedule your free weight-loss surgery seminar today to learn more!

Contact the Surgical Specialists of LA for more information at 1-877-691-3001 or www.whyweight.com.

References

*Trust For America’s Health Report: F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future. June 2010.
**JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association 2010, “Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2008” and 2009 CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System annual data, http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/.

Obesity remains a socially acceptable injustice and often referred to as “the last acceptable form of discrimination.” Overweight individuals are often the subject of jokes in the media which can translate to real life discrimination. In this article, printed with permission of the Obesity Action Coalition, Rebecca Phul, PhD discusses the difference between “stigma” and “discrimination” and what legal ramifications, if any, can take place to protect overweight individuals.

Weight Discrimination: A Socially Acceptable Injustice

By Rebecca Puhl, PhD

Obesity is highly stigmatized in our society. Overweight and obese individuals are vulnerable to negative bias, prejudice and discrimination in many different settings, including the workplace, educational institutions, healthcare facilities and even within interpersonal relationships.

Unfortunately, weight bias remains very socially acceptable in North American culture; it is rarely challenged, and often ignored. As a result, thousands of obese individuals are at risk for unfair treatment, and there are few outlets available to provide support or protection.

What is the difference between “stigma” and “discrimination?”

Weight stigma or bias generally refers to negative weight-related attitudes toward an overweight or obese individual. These attitudes are often manifested by negative stereotypes (e.g., that obese persons are “lazy” or “lacking in willpower”), social rejection and prejudice. Weight stigma includes verbal teasing (e.g., name calling, derogatory remarks, being made fun of, etc.), physical aggression (e.g., hitting, kicking, pushing, shoving, etc.) and relational victimization (e.g., social exclusion, being ignored, avoided, or the target of rumors).

Many obese individuals report being treated with less respect or courtesy than thinner persons and being called names or insults because of their weight. Thus, weight stigma can emerge in subtle forms, or it can be expressed directly.

Discrimination is distinct from stigma and negative attitudes, and specifically refers to unequal, unfair treatment of people because of their weight. For example, an obese person who is qualified for a job but is not hired for the position because of his or her weight may have been the victim of weight discrimination.

Other examples include being denied a job promotion or fired from a job because of one’s weight; being denied certain medical procedures or provided inferior medical care because of one’s weight; or being denied a scholarship, a bank loan or prevented from renting or buying a home because of one’s weight.

In each of these cases, the behaviors directed toward the obese individual depict inequitable treatment with no justifiable cause, and legal recourse may be an appropriate response in these situations.

Obesity Discrimination on the Rise

Despite the increasing prevalence of obesity, it appears that incidences of weight discrimination are only becoming worse.

In our research, we examined trends of weight discrimination throughout a 10 year period from 1995-2005 and found that the prevalence increased by 66 percent during this decade, from 7-12 percent of the general population. This finding was not a result of increasing obesity rates, but rather specifically demonstrates that more people are experiencing weight discrimination.

How common is weight discrimination?

Given the social acceptability of negative attitudes toward obese individuals, it may not be surprising to learn that weight discrimination is common in the United States.

In a recent study, we examined the prevalence of multiple forms of discrimination in a nationally representative sample of 2,290 American adults and found that weight discrimination is common among Americans, with rates relatively close to the prevalence of race and age discrimination. Among women, weight discrimination was even more common than racial discrimination. Among all adults in the study, weight discrimination was more prevalent than discrimination due to ethnicity, sexual orientation and physical disability. Almost 60 percent of participants in our study who reported weight discrimination experienced at least one occurrence of employment-based discrimination, such as not being hired for a job.

On average, a person’s chances of being discriminated against because of weight become higher as their body weight increases. In our study, 10 percent of overweight women reported weight discrimination, 20 percent of obese women reported weight discrimination and 45 percent of very obese women reported weight discrimination.

Rates for men were lower, with 3 percent of overweight, 6 percent of obese and 28 percent of very obese men reporting weight discrimination. This finding also tells us that women begin experiencing weight discrimination at lower levels of body weight than men.

What legal action can be taken for victims of weight discrimination?

Unfortunately, there are few legal options available for individuals who suffer weight discrimination. Currently, there are no federal laws that exist to prohibit discrimination based on weight.

With the exception of one state law (Michigan) and a few local jurisdictions that address discrimination on the basis of weight or appearance (e.g., San Francisco), the vast majority of people who experience weight discrimination in the U.S. must pursue legal recourse through other indirect avenues.

In particular, obese individuals have depended on the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Most cases filed under these categories pertain to weight-based discrimination in employment settings, and only a few cases have been successful. In addition, whether it is appropriate for obesity to be considered a “disability” under the ADA is questionable and could perpetuate bias further.

Overweight people who are not “morbidly obese,” but who experience weight discrimination cannot file claims under the ADA because they are not considered disabled under this law. It places an unfair burden for individuals to prove that their obesity is debilitating and disabling in order to obtain fair and equitable treatment in the workplace.

These unresolved issues, in addition to public perceptions that place blame on obese people, have led to inconsistent court rulings and often deter obese individuals from taking any legal action.

Clearly, legislation is badly needed to protect individuals from weight discrimination. Massachusetts recently introduced legislation (House Bill 1844) to prohibit weight-based discrimination in employment settings. The hearing was held on March 25th 2008, with no opposition present at the hearing, and all expert testimonies were in favor of the bill. No decision has yet been made, but if this bill passes, it will be an important step in encouraging other states to follow suit.

Reducing weight bias requires major shifts in societal attitudes, and national actions are needed to establish meaningful legislation to ensure that obese persons receive the equitable treatment they deserve.

This article first appeared on www.OAC.org. Reproduced with permission from Obesity Action Coalition. Please visit www.oac.org

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

About the Author:

Rebecca Puhl, PhD, is the Director of Research and Weight Stigma Initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. Dr. Puhl is responsible for coordinating research and policy efforts aimed at reducing weight bias.

References:

Puhl R, Brownell KD. (2001). Bias, discrimination, and obesity. Obesity Research, 9:788-805.

Puhl, R.M., Andreyeva, T., & Brownell, K.D (2008). Perceptions of weight discrimination: prevalence and comparison to race and gender discrimination in America. International Journal of Obesity. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2008.22

Andreyeva, T., Puhl, R.M., & Brownell, K.D (2008). Changes in Perceived Weight Discrimination Among Americans, 1995-1996 through 2004-2006. Obesity. oi:10.1038/oby.2008.35

Brownell, K.D., Puhl, R., Schwartz, M.B., Rudd, L. (Eds.) (2005). Weight Bias: Nature, Consequences, and Remedies. New York: Guilford Publications.

Childhood Obesity: The Link to Drinks

Childhood obesity rates have doubled throughout the past 30 years in the United States for children ages 2-5 and 12-19, and tripled in the age group of 6-11. Obesity for children is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for similar age and gender youths¹.

Social and Environmental Pressures

Many social and environmental pressures lead to greater obesity in children. Chief among these influences is the wide variety and availability of sugar-sweetened drinks that contain little to no nutritional value. These beverages include:

•    Soft drinks
•    Sports drinks
•    Fruit drinks
•    Flavored teas and coffees
•    Energy drinks

Throughout the past 10-15 years, these drinks have exploded on to the consumer scene, flooding grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores and vending machines.

Americans have doubled their consumption of soda pop in the last 25 years, a trend that closely follows the obesity epidemic. The average American drinks 1.6 cans of soda pop a day, more than 500 cans a year. Soda drinking is particularly rampant among teenagers. Data indicates that soft drinks account for 13 percent of a teenager’s caloric intake – by far the largest source of calories in his or her diet. For decades, milk was the most common beverage consumed by children, but by the mid-1990’s, boys and girls were drinking twice as much soda pop as milk.

One recent, independent peer-reviewed study from Harvard demonstrated a strong link between consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and childhood obesity². Although some studies conflict regarding the causality between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity, a number of research studies confirm the Harvard group’s findings that increased soft drink and sugar-laden beverage consumption is a risk factor for obesity³.
Not only do sugar-sweetened drinks likely lead to obesity, they are also associated with tooth decay and weakening bones.

Energy Drink Emergence

In the past decade, energy drinks have exploded into the marketplace. In 2006 alone, 500 new energy drinks were launched. Energy drinks, which typically contain large amounts of sugar and caffeine, are equally if not more dangerous to children. Although the target market for energy drinks is young adults aged 18-35, teenagers are consuming significant quantities of these beverages.

Caffeine by the Can

The amounts of caffeine found in such drinks as Red Bull or Rock Star are about 10 grams per ounce. With that in mind, take a look at the amount of caffeine found in other beverages:

•    Red Bull (8.3 oz can) = 83 grams
•    Rock Star (16 oz. can) = 160 grams
•    Coca-Cola Classic (12 oz. can) = 34.5 grams
•    Pepsi-Cola (12 oz. can) = 38 grams
•    Coffee (8 oz. cup) = 57 grams

Most experts recommend that children consume well under 100 grams of caffeine per day.

Effects of Caffeine on Children

Pharmacologic effects of caffeine are notable in children, most commonly seen as hyperactivity, sleep disturbances and restlessness. Drinking large amounts of caffeine can also be associated with high blood pressure and frequent headaches.

Researchers have reported that a new practice among college-age students is the simultaneous consumption of energy drinks and alcohol, which allows greater consumption of alcohol since alertness is perpetuated by the energy drink⁴. In addition, the sugar content of energy drinks is comparable or higher than most soft drinks. For example, an 8 oz Red Bull contains 27 grams of sugar and a 16 oz Rock Star has 60 grams of sugar, while the typical non-diet soft drink contains 40-45 grams of sugar.

How to Combat the High-calorie Beverage Craze

So what can be done to limit the amount of nutritionally-poor liquid calories that children and adolescents are consuming? On an individual-basis, the best approach is simply to replace soda and sports drinks with water or low-fat milk in children’s diets. Water is the best hydrator available. Low-fat milk not only hydrates, but delivers calcium, protein and vitamin D.

Children should be monitored at home with their choice of liquids. A glass of 100 percent fruit juice per day is beneficial, but excessive soda, sport drinks or energy drinks is unhealthy. What happens at school may be out of the immediate control of a parent, but parents can petition the school to eliminate vending machines that sell soft drinks and energy drinks in favor of bottled water.

Moderation in guiding children, of course, is appropriate. Children who are constantly deprived of treats are more likely to binge eat or drink. Also, parental modeling is important. Studies suggest that children who are raised by parents who exert excessive dietary restraint may be more likely to become obese⁵.

Children possess the ability to internally regulate their caloric intake. If they see their parents struggle with alternating dis-inhibited eating (abandoning the effort to control food or drink intake) and restrained eating (conscious decision to restrict intake to control weight), they may pattern their own eating and drinking behavior after their parents instead of allowing their internal energy regulation to guide them. This in turn seems to lead to greater obesity in children.

Conclusion

Parents should adopt healthy eating and drinking patterns, limiting consumption of soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened drinks, and to do so without obsession. Helping children develop a love for the refreshing taste of water or a cold glass of milk will pay immediate health rewards for children as well as dividends for their future health and weight control.

This article first appeared in the OAC News Vol.5/ Issue 1 October 2009.  Reproduced with permission from Obesity Action Coalition. Please visit www.oac.org

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

References:

•    Childhood Obesity in the United States: Facts and Figures, Fact Sheet 2004, Institute of Medicine.
•    Ludwig et al, Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet 2001; Feb 17; 357 (9255):505-8.
•    Wolff et al, Medscape J Med 2008; 10(8):189.
•    Malinauskas et al, Nutrition Journal 2007; 6:35.
•    Hood et al, International Journal of Obesity 2000; 10:1319-1325.

Are you taking the time to learn what exactly is in the food you eat? Last week the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana shared the first part of a feature article by Jacqueline Jacques, ND that explained the types of items consumers should look for in a food label. This week are are pleased to share the conclusion of this article and reprinted with the permission of the Obesity Action Coalition.

The Nutrition Facts Box

If you know what to look at, the Nutrition Facts Box actually provides a lot of information.
Nutrition Information that Should be Present in the Nutrition Facts Box

Mandatory Items:

• Total calories
• Calories from fat
• Total fat
• Saturated fat
• Trans fat
• Cholesterol
• Sodium
• Total carbohydrate
• Sugars
• Protein
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Calcium
• Iron

Non- mandatory items that should be included:

• Calories from saturated fat
• Polyunsaturated fat
• Monounsaturated fat
• Potassium
• Dietary fiber
• Soluble fiber
• Insoluble fiber
• Sugar alcohol (i.e. xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol)
• Other carbohydrate (difference between total carbohydrate and sum of dietary fiber, sugars, and sugar alcohol if declared)
• Percent of vitamin A present as beta-carotene
• Other essential vitamins and minerals

From the top of the box, you can start by looking at the serving size and the number of servings in a container. For products like bread, where the serving is usually one slice, this is typically easy to understand. For foods that don’t come in neat portions, consumers often do not use the serving size that the manufacturer recommends.

A great example is cereal. For many cereals, the serving size is 1/3 to 1/2 cup. That’s about a medium handful for most adults – and it doesn’t even come close to filling your cereal bowl. When pouring cereal, many of use three to four times the “serving” size. Same goes for foods like juice, pasta, chips, crackers, nuts, ice cream and other things where the serving size may differ a lot from what most people eat.

Two examples that I find bothersome are bottled drinks and nutrition bars. Many bottled drinks (from juice to soda) and packaged bars that look like single servings are actually 1 ½ to 2 servings per container. So, if you eat the entire contents of the package, you need to multiply the calories, fat content, etc by 1.5 or 2 to know what you are actually eating.

Everything else in the Nutrition Facts box is based on a single serving of the product – not on the amount that you typically eat. As you move through the box, keep this in mind. If you are trying to limit calories, fat, salt (sodium) or cholesterol, you can now much more easily know how much you are getting. If you want to make sure you get enough protein or fiber every day, you can see that as well.

Finally, you can also use the box to know how much iron, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C you are getting each day. Other nutrients such as B-vitamins, vitamin E, D, K, and most minerals are not required, but can be listed voluntarily by the manufacturer.

You also see some percentages (%) in the Nutrition Facts box. These percentages tell you that for the listed nutrients how much of the Recommended Daily Value you get with a serving of that food. The Daily Value (DV) is the suggested amount of a nutrient (a vitamin, mineral, protein, fat, fiber or carbohydrate) that you should get each day. The Percent Daily Value (% DV) is the amount of that nutrient you should get based on an assumed calorie intake. For all nutrients, if they provide 5 percent or less of the DV, the food is low in that nutrient; if they provide 20 percent or more, they are high in that nutrient.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) generally assumes an intake of 2,000 calories for an average adult. Optionally, the manufacturer can show you percentages based on an intake of 2,500 calories as well. Also voluntary, but commonly shown, are the number of calories per gram of fat, carbohydrate and protein.

The Ingredients

The Nutrition Facts box is helpful, but the information in it is still limited. Foods are also required to have a complete listing of all the ingredients that they contain. This is required for all foods that have more than one ingredient. Usually this information is listed directly below or adjacent to the Nutrition Facts box. Ingredients are listed by weight.

While fewer ingredients don’t always make a healthier food, it is not uncommon to find that foods with long, complicated ingredient lists contain more additive, more fillers and more non-nutritional ingredients.

By reading this list carefully, it can help you to compare not just the simple nutrition facts in the box, but also the quality of your food. You might be amazed when you start to compare foods like catsups, breads, soups and more just how much variation there is for individual types of foods.

Allergens

The newest label regulations require specific information for ingredients that have been identified as potentially harmful allergens. The allergens that must be declared on food labels are:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)
• Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp)
• Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soybeans

Manufacturers can declare the source of the ingredient directly in the ingredient list, or they can place this information in a separate statement following the ingredient list. (This will usually be preceded by the phrase “This product contains…”) While wheat is on this list, many medical authorities have commented that gluten is not, and perhaps should be. The FDA is currently reviewing the criteria for adding gluten to this list as well as looking to clearly define “gluten-free.”

Nutrient Content Claims and Health Claims

It is becoming increasingly common for manufacturers to market health claims about their food. Whether it is margarine that helps your heart, cereal that lowers cholesterol or simply something that is “healthy” compared to the other choices on the shelf. You might be surprised at how regulated this language is by the FDA.

A nutrient content claim is one that tells you that compared to a similar food, the food from brand X is lower in something (like fat or sugar), free of something (like sodium or cholesterol) or provides a better than average source of a nutrient (like calcium or protein). Virtually every term from “light” to “high” has a strict definition that manufacturers must meet to use the term, or they risk serious penalties and fines.

Actual health claims for foods are extremely limited. To date, there are only 12 that the FDA has allowed, though they are considering others. In addition, there are two approved claims based on authoritative statements from scientific bodies that are allowed. One is for whole grains, heart disease and cancer and states: “Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.”

This article first appeared in the OAC News Vol.2/ Issue 3 April 2007 Reproduced with permission from Obesity Action Coalition. Please visit www.oac.org

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

Research has long linked obesity to such negative health conditions as high blood pressure, sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes. One commonly overlooked, yet very serious, risk of obesity is cancer. A pivotal study released in 2003 followed more than 900,000 adults for sixteen years¹. When these men and women were enrolled in the study they were cancer free, but over the duration of the study, more than 50,000 cancer deaths occurred. The study concluded that those with a body mass index of 40 or more, those considered morbidly obese, had death rates from all cancers that were 52% higher for men and 62% higher for women compared to people of normal weight. Based on this data, the researchers estimated that 14 percent of all deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of those in women could be directly linked to obesity. Obesity related cancers include esophagus, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas and kidney cancers. For women, there is also an increased rate of breast, uterus and other gynecologic cancers.

Seven years have passed since the publication of that study and much headway has been made in the treatment and prevention of obesity in the United States. Although the obese population continues to climb, options such as weight loss surgery and medically supervised diets are widely available. This June, the Journal of the American College of Surgeons published a report that bariatric surgery appears to decrease the risk of cancer in obese women.

The study followed 1,482 severely obese (BMI over 30) women who had undergone bariatric surgery and compared them to a group of severely obese women who had not undergone surgery. Although the results of the study were not conclusive, the obese women who did not have surgery had a significantly higher cancer diagnosis². These findings may be the first step toward bariatric surgery being a preventative treatment for obesity related cancers.

Certainly more research needs to be done to evaluate the numerous factors contributing to weight loss. Still, for the morbidly obese, weight loss surgery, such gastric bypass or laparoscopic gastric banding, has proven to be a more effective means of weight loss than diet and exercise alone.

1. EE Callee, C Rodriguez, K Walker-Thurmond, M Thun Overweight, Obesity and Mortality from Canter in a Prospectively Studied Cohort of U.S. Adults, NEJM 348: 1625-1638, April 24, 2003, No. 17
2. Cancer in Obese Women: Potential Protective Impact of Bariatric Surgery, 17 April 2009

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone necessary to convert sugar and starches into energy. Its exact cause is unknown, but genetics, obesity, and lack of exercise are all contributing factors.

Glucose intolerance should not be taken lightly. But, unfortunately, it is not the only concern. Nearly 60-70% of people with diabetes develop some form of nervous system damage including the loss of ability to feel pain. Nearly 30% of adults ages 40 and over with diabetes suffer from neuropathy, impaired sensation of the feet. This means that those with neuropathy can develop blisters or sores on their feet that they may not be aware of.

Despite several visits to specialists across the state and multiple treatments, Steven’s wound on his foot did not get better. Finally, the doctors suggested amputation, and Steven realized that he had to get rid of the diabetes in order to save his leg.

In December of 2006, Steven had laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery performed by Dr. Tom Lavin of the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana. This minimally invasive, one-hour procedure creates a smaller stomach pouch that allows food to bypass a large portion of the small intestine so the patient absorbs fewer calories. Interestingly, gastric bypass, also called Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, also affects the hormones that may be behind diabetes. Studies show that 83.8% of patients often resolve their diabetes within days of bariatric surgery.

Since his surgery, Steven has lost 185 pounds and is no longer diabetic. Best of all, his wound was healed and he was able to keep full use of his foot and leg.

Dr. Lavin believes that, by treating the core problem, many obese individuals can solve most of their related health problems. Steven is excited about his weight loss success, but beyond the numbers on the scale he is thrilled to have regained his health.

1. American Diabetes Association. All about diabetes. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/ about-diabetes.jsp. Accessed Nov 15, 2009

2. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC). A service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH. National Diabetes Statistics, 2007. Available at : http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/DM/PUBS/statistics/. Accessed Nov 15, 2009.

3. Buchwald H, Avidor Y, Braunwald E, et al. Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA 2004;292(14):1724-37.

Walkers participated in raising money to help fight the obesity epidemic. An estimated 90 million people in the US are obese and 15 million are morbidly obese, putting them at an increased risk for other life threatening diseases including type II diabetes and heart disease.

With the help of business sponsorships, such as the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana who were “Benefactor Level” sponsors, the Slidell area walk raised $16,500, making it one of the Top National Fundraising Sites in the Country. Thanks to these fundraising efforts, the ASMBS (American Society For Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to Slidell Memorial Hospital’s “Fit as a Firefighter” Camp. This is the second year in a row the award has been given to SMH which has brought the money raised back into our local community.

About The Surgical Specialists of LA
The Surgical Specialists of LA is a group of nine board certified laparoscopic bariatric surgeons who have performed over 4,000 minimally invasive weight loss surgeries. With locations in New Orleans, Covington, Lafayette and Slidell, they are able to offer the Gulf South Region the most comprehensive weight loss program in the area. Whether you need to lose 15, 50 or 150 pounds, SSL has a program to meet your needs. MyWeight^TM is the most recent addition to SSl’s offerings. MyWeight^TM is a medically supervised, individualized, multi-level weight loss program that offers a variety of options focusing on the Medical, Nutritional, and Physical components for a healthy lifestyle.

About Southern Surgical Hospital
Southern Surgical Hospital (SSH) is a multi-specialty, 63,538 square-foot short-stay hospital located in Slidell, Louisiana. The hospital houses six operating suites, one pain treatment room, a procedure room; two sleep lab beds, 32 inpatient beds, and five ICU beds. SSH is owned and operated by physicians in partnership with Cirrus Health.

Many patients undergoing bariatric surgery often wonder if they will need plastic surgery to remove excess skin after they’ve lost weight. This is not always the case. Depending on your age and the elasticity of your skin you may see your body return to a somewhat normal state. Others, however, will see an excess of saggy skin around their midsection, thighs, arms or breasts. This can present both physical and emotional concerns. Hanging skin can be uncomfortable and can cause hygiene problems. And patients who worked hard to reach their weight loss goals may find themselves, once again, embarrassed by their physical appearance. Plastic surgery could be the solution.

Body contouring after massive weight loss is on the rise. In fact, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) nearly 67,000 body contouring procedures after massive weight loss were performed in 2007. This accounts for roughly one-fourth of all bariatric surgery patients.

The most commonly performed procedures for bariatric surgery patients are panniculectomy, abdominoplasty, breast lift, brachioplasty, and vertical thigh lift.

• Panniculectomy: a procedure that reduces the size of the pannus, or the excess skin that hangs in the abdominal region. This procedure is often covered by insurance companies to improve physical function.

• Abdominoplasty: this procedure, like the panniculectomy, also removes excess abdominal skin but also tightens the muscle.

• Breast lift: also known as a mastopexy, this is the most common plastic surgery procedure for weight loss surgery patients. Because the breast volume may have decreased with weight loss, implants are often used to lift and shape the breast.

• Brachioplasty: this technique, to remove excess hanging skin from the arm, cannot be performed without creating a large scar. Many patients however, find this trade off well worth it.

• Vertical thigh lift: a procedure that removes the excess tissue extending from the groin to the knee. Like the arm lift, it generally leaves a large scar.

If you are considering body contouring after your weight loss procedure, it is best to wait at least one full year after your bariatric surgery or until you have reached a stable weight. Having plastic surgery prematurely may not give you the results you are looking for and may mean revisional surgery later on. It is also advisable to reach a healthy weight. Surgery, cosmetic or otherwise, carries risks. These risks can be minimized as your Body Mass Index (BMI) decreases and any weight-related health conditions begin to resolve themselves.

Many plastic surgeons are now specializing in procedures for weight loss surgery patents. The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana can provide you with a list of recommended plastic surgeons and connect you with patients who have undergone body contouring. Additionally, the ASPS is a great resource for detailed information about these and other procedures. You can reach their site at www.plasticsurgery.org.

Could where you live actually determine how long you live? According to the United Health Foundation, it can! In their annual report, “America’s Health Rankings,” the UHF provides an analysis of the nation’s health on a state-by-state basis¹.

In the 2008 report, Louisiana moved to the bottom position making it the least healthy state in the nation. Joining Louisiana at the bottom were Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina and Mississippi. Some of the top-ranked states were Vermont, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Utah. Researchers based their findings on several factors, including the personal behaviors of those living in the state, such as smoking, and factors like the rate of uninsured residents, the percentage of children in poverty, or the rate of preventable hospitalizations and cancer deaths.

But another important indicator is the obesity rate, because obesity, can often lead to other serious health conditions such as type II diabetes and heart disease. Since 1990, the prevalence of obesity in Louisiana has increased by 150% percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 28.1% of the Louisiana population is now classified as obese².

Regardless of rank, each state has the opportunity to improve the health of its residents. Fighting the obesity epidemic is an excellent way to start – even modest weight loss can significantly improve one’s health. Medically supervised weight loss programs have been proven successful and, for the morbidly obese, bariatric surgery is known to be the most effective and long-lasting treatment. The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana offers all minimally invasive options, as well as the revolutionary incisionless weight loss surgery options and personalized non-surgical weight loss plans.

Join the 2009 Walk From Obesity

In the end, the health of our State depends on the actions of the individuals who reside here. As weight loss specialists and Louisiana citizens, the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana joins the fight every year by sponsoring the annual American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery’s Walk From Obesity. This year, the SSL- and Southern Surgical Hospital-sponsored Walk will be held on November 14 in conjunction with Camellia City Market and Olde Towne Merchants in Slidell’s Historic Olde Towne District:

2009 Walk From Obesity
Saturday November 14, 2009
8:30am in Slidell, LA

Interested in joining the annual Walk from Obesity to help raise funds for the research, prevention and advanced treatments and make Louisiana a healthier place to live? Visit WhyWeight.com to register online or call Kim Mulkey at (985) 661-2172.

1. United Health Foundations: “America’s Health Rankings.”
Available at http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/index.html
2. CDC: “U.S. Obesity Trends 1985 – 2008.” Available at http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html

Most weight loss surgeries, such as gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding (LAP-BAND® and REALIZE Band), or gastric sleeve are all aimed at hunger control. They limit the amount of food one can eat giving patients the tool they need to lose weight.

But once surgery turns the physical hunger off, other psychological issues may surface. Many patients find that they have a complicated relationship with food and that their new approach to eating causes anxiety. Others have used food as a coping mechanism for negative emotions and must learn other ways to deal with these feelings. Surgery alone cannot repair these issues.

We at Surgical Specialists of Louisiana understand and are here to help. Since 2000, we have been helping our patients address the psychological side of bariatric surgery before and after their procedure.  Our team of weight loss specialists sees patients frequently for the first year after surgery to ensure they have the necessary skills to deal with physical and emotional changes. We continue to guide them through their weight loss journey as they are our patients for life.

Our patients also have unlimited access to bariatric support groups in Metairie, Slidell, Lafayette, and Covington, Louisiana, and can call the clinic staff as needed. We encourage all our patients to attend support groups as an excellent peer-to-peer forum, support network, and educational opportunity.

Ultimately, we believe that a comprehensive approach is necessary to ensure weight loss success. This is why we have a team of highly skilled surgeons, experienced patient advocates, nutritionists and psychologists available for our patients. We understand that nobody is perfect, but with ongoing commitment and communication we can help you succeed!